I don't know why, but that was one of the most enjoyable reads of my life./currently working my way through the Dark Tower series.

Ah the Dark tower. Enjoy that.

It was better before he rewrote the first few to match the last few.

I'm in the middle of the Wizard and the Glass right now, with the extended flashback about Roland as a young gunslinger...kind of getting tired of it. I'll keep reading, don't get me wrong, but I'm really hoping something happens pretty soon.

Not to discourage you. But that's how I felt for the rest of the 2000+ pages ahead of you. Not saying that it's not worth it. Just that its... tedious.

I'm ok with them walking toward the Dark Tower doing what ever they do without much happening. But this whole flashback stuff is just ridiculous.

Also, do I read them in the order they were written or do I read the Wind Through the Keyhole next?

Wow, I hadn't even heard of that. I'd stick to the order they were written. Wizard and Glass is pretty much entirely set in the past right? Anyway, the series is worth the slog for a couple reasons i can't mention without getting all spoiler-y.

Just bought Wind Through the Keyhole. I am the anomaly but I enjoyed all the Dark Tower series. I also really got a kick out of looking for the connections in other books.

Keep slogging through Wizard and Glass. Many people consider this book their favorite in the series. If nothing else it provides information you need for the rest of the story.

I don't know why, but that was one of the most enjoyable reads of my life./currently working my way through the Dark Tower series.

Ah the Dark tower. Enjoy that.

It was better before he rewrote the first few to match the last few.

I'm in the middle of the Wizard and the Glass right now, with the extended flashback about Roland as a young gunslinger...kind of getting tired of it. I'll keep reading, don't get me wrong, but I'm really hoping something happens pretty soon.

Not to discourage you. But that's how I felt for the rest of the 2000+ pages ahead of you. Not saying that it's not worth it. Just that its... tedious.

I'm ok with them walking toward the Dark Tower doing what ever they do without much happening. But this whole flashback stuff is just ridiculous.

Also, do I read them in the order they were written or do I read the Wind Through the Keyhole next?

Wow, I hadn't even heard of that. I'd stick to the order they were written. Wizard and Glass is pretty much entirely set in the past right? Anyway, the series is worth the slog for a couple reasons i can't mention without getting all spoiler-y.

I feel like the next big epidemic on a global scale is a "when", not an "if", and I really wonder whether it will be something that naturally emerges or something like the book where there's a critical human error/something we wrought on ourselves.

/Just wait until 2080 or so to start, please

Considering that humans are making a number of striking mistakes with this sort of thing, I think it's more likely than many people think that we will bring it upon ourselves. And here are a few of the mistakes:

1. Overuse of antibiotics. Bacteria can pass information to other bacteria. As such, the more we us antibiotics, the more likely it is that more bacteria will become resistant.2. We move around a lot in atmospheres that are contained and circulated (air travel). This makes it really easy for both viruses and bacteria to spread - in multiple places.3. We overuse things like sanitizers. This may sound backwards. But the thing is, if we try to kill all of the pathogens that try to get to us, we don't allow our bodies to build a natural immunity to them.4. We have scientists actually working to make viruses even more deadly than they already can be - thus the premise for The Stand. That part wasn't entirely fictional.

That's just for a start. If an asteroid or supervolcano doesn't wipe us out, the microbes probably could.Short of the planet splitting in half, bacteria will be here when the sun explodes. Hell, even then, a great number of bacteria will STILL be here.

protip: when it does hit the fan be aware that even a small injury can get serious without proper medical attention. flying down the road sans helmet on a Harley like they do on TV 'almost everybody is dead' programs is foolish. at least drive one of those 4 wheel thingies, and go Mad Max on the protective equipment.